


a return to camp

by luneetetoiles



Category: Percy - Fandom, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:04:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26333818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luneetetoiles/pseuds/luneetetoiles
Summary: Something short, about one of the first times Percy and Annabeth return back to Camp Half-Blood after their time in Tartarus.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase & Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Kudos: 45





	a return to camp

About thirty minutes after lights-out, Annabeth quietly crawls out of her bed. She did not want to wake her siblings with her disrupting sleeping habits, so it was best if she slept, or attempted to sleep, elsewhere. Since the end of the war with Gaea and coming home from Tartarus less than six months ago, she had been wracked with more PTSD and anxiety than she had ever faced, which led to horrific nightmares that usually resulted in her waking up screaming and thrashing. The only resolution was Percy. Knowing he was there, with her. Safe, where she could protect him, and he could protect her, like they always did for each other. 

Once out of bed, Annabeth pulled the covers back and slipped on shoes and a sweatshirt. She maneuvered around the cabin silently and quickly scribbled Will a note explaining her whereabouts and grabbed her backpack from next to her desk before leaving out the front door of Cabin 6. 

She crossed the expansive area in between the U of cabins quickly. Chiron had talked to the harpies about not eating Percy and Annabeth for being out after curfew, given their situation. The hearth in the center of the pavilion was dimly lit, the flames low and soft, but it provided light on the pavilion enclosed by darkness. Once she reached the other side of the cabins and realized the light in Cabin 3 was out. She walked in between Cabin 3 and 5 and her eyes immediately went to Percy’s dark silhouette sitting on the ground behind the Poseidon cabin. The cabin overlooked a small body of water, it wasn’t much, but it was enough to make Percy and other potential children of Poseidon feel a bit more at home.

Once she was a few yards away, Percy noticed her presence behind him and turned around. His face looked dark, as if he was thinking about something serious, but as soon as he saw Annabeth, his mood seemed to improve. In the dark, Annabeth saw him pat the ground beside him, and she quickened her pace. 

“What are you doing over here?” Percy asks, as Annabeth sat down next to him and places her bag beside her. His arm automatically wraps around her waist and pulls her closer. Annabeth leans into him and rests her head on his shoulder. Percy knows why she’s here, but they were both working on opening up about their emotions, especially to each other, and Percy wanted Annabeth to be able to do so. He felt Annabeth shrug against him. “I don’t know how to explain it,” she says. Percy leans his head so that it rests on top of Annabeth’s and lets out a small “hm.” “Just being back here is bringing back a lot of memories. Both good and bad,” Annabeth says. “Yeah, I get that,” Percy replies. “Do you want to talk about it?” He asks, and Annabeth is quiet, which he takes as a no.

After about twenty minutes of sitting on the shore, Percy can feel Annabeth shaking against him. It was December in New York, after all, and Annabeth didn’t bode well in the cold. “C’mon, ‘beth, let’s go inside,” he says and stands up before offering his hands out to Annabeth to help her up. She accepts, not that she needs the help, but it is still a nice gesture. Percy leans over and grabs Annabeth’s backpack before tossing it over his shoulder, and lacing his fingers through Annabeth’s. 

They walk up the short stretch to the back door of the Poseidon cabin. Percy pushes it open and slips off his shoes. The cabin is dark, illuminated only by the dim moonlight coming in through the open windows, but Percy quickly finds the lamp beside his bed and turns it on. Next, he goes around the cabin and closes all the windows, knowing Annabeth will turn frigid if there’s any hint of the New York winter coming in. 

“We were so young, Perce,” Annabeth says. She had made her way to Percy’s desk, and above it are old photos of him and her, him and his mom, among other mementos. She had slipped off her shoes and sweatshirt and set down her bag next to the desk. “You say that every time you come in here,” Percy quips from next to his bed. “And every time it’s true,” Annabeth responds, taking in the wall. Next to the picture of her and Percy at the Hoover Dam is one of Annabeth’s sketches. It’s of the new Poseidon cabin she wants to create, Percy, clearly, had stolen it from her. But, it was cute, and she was way beyond that design, anyways. She knows it reminded him of both her and his dad, which made her happy.

Still looking at the wall, Percy appeared behind Annabeth and wrapped his arms around her. In the moonlight, the white scars that littered her body were even more prominent. Percy found them to be beautiful, though, despite their negative connotations. He wrapped his arms around Annabeth’s waist and kissed the scar on her shoulder that ran next to her tank top straps. Annabeth turned around in his arms to face him.

“Hey,” she said. Even after all these years, she was still astounded by Percy’s muscles, and they seemed even more defined in the dim lighting. “You look beautiful,” Percy said, causing Annabeth to look down. Her curly, light hair glowed in the lighting, and she looked more like a goddess than a human. Perks of being a demigod, he assumed. He removed one hand from Annabeth’s waist to bring her chin up so their eyes met. “Thank the gods I’m taller than you now, I don’t think I would’ve lived that one down,” Percy says, causing Annabeth to chuckle softly and smiled. Annabeth’s smile was probably one of Percy’s favorite things in the whole world.

Annabeth stood up on her tippy-toes and wrapped her arms around Percy’s neck. “No, you wouldn’t have,” she said and kissed Percy slowly and deeply.


End file.
